Walmart Puerto Rico announces 6th edition of Open Call PR
The sixth edition of Walmart Puerto Rico’s “Open Call PR 2023” officially opened Thursday for suppliers interested in showcasing their manufactured, processed, distributed or harvested products on the island to buyers of Walmart and Sam’s Club stores.
The initiative’s goal is to continue increasing Walmart Puerto Rico’s multimillion-dollar investment in purchasing local products, supporting local entrepreneurs’s growth and contributing to the island’s economic development, chain officials said.
In addition to registering through the website, those interested can also find event details there. The deadline for registration is Sept. 30.
Open Call PR’s sixth edition will take place Nov. 1 at the chain’s headquarters in Carolina, where aspiring suppliers will present their products to the chain’s buyers during individual meetings, said Viviana Mercado, senior manager of corporate affairs for Walmart Puerto Rico.
“We invite all local producers who want to join our large network of suppliers to register for the event, so that, just as more than 300 suppliers did in past years, they can establish or expand business relationships with Walmart and Sam’s Club, and even have the opportunity to export part of their production to our stores in the United States,” Mercado said.
Meanwhile, Jenniffer Garland, senior director of Walmart Puerto Rico, said: “At Walmart, aware of the multiplier effect the growth of local businesses has on the economic development of Puerto Rico, we continue to focus on acquiring more local products and actively promoting them in our stores through various strategies, such as the ‘Hecho aquí, para ti’ [‘Made here, for you’] seal, so that consumers can identify them and take them home.”
Garland said all suppliers “will be empowered and guided through the process to become Walmart suppliers so that their offers are attractive and aligned with our requirements.”
In the initial editions of the Open Call PR program, Walmart Puerto Rico exceeded its original goal of purchasing more merchandise from Puerto Rican companies. Walmart aims to continue substituting 5% of annual imports with local merchandise to further expand its investment in purchasing local products, officials added.
“We’re very enthusiastic and confident that we will be able to continue putting new, high-quality local products on our shelves that will replace imported merchandise and through which we strengthen the Puerto Rican economy, reaffirming our commitment of more than three decades to contribute to improving the quality of life of communities on the island,” Mercado said.
“Working hand in hand with local suppliers, we can continue to help boost commercial activity and create jobs that support economic development in Puerto Rico, while positively impacting Puerto Rican families so that they ‘save more and live better,’” Mercado concluded.
